He was a compassionate man who was always finding ways to give to others. Whether Jerry was giving a few dollars to someone who was homeless, helping a client around the house after a power-washing job, paying for someone's meal at a restaurant, or handing out flowers to passers-by who looked like they were having a bad day, nobody wanted for anything when he was around.

Jerry simply loved people, and he loved helping them even more.

So it was no surprise to his family that his last act was one of giving. After dying suddenly Jan. 14, Jerry, who wanted to be an organ donor, gave the gift of sight to two people and saved the lives of three others through kidney and liver donations. Others benefited from his tissue donations.

"He had always said when he died anybody could have what they needed from him because he wasn't going to need them anymore," said Lisa Hayes, Jerry's wife. "I guess you have to find that one little piece that's good out of all of this. His donation is the only good thing."

Jerry's donation is the silver lining the family has found in his death.

Before he was hospitalized, Jerry, at 49, had been in good health. He spent the earlier part of the day Jan. 11 laying tile in his kitchen, which he was remodeling, never once complaining he was unwell.

Sometime late in the evening, Lisa remembers Jerry waking up and getting sick. A few minutes later, he said he couldn't see out of one of his eyes. Afraid he was having some kind of stroke, Lisa drove her husband to Licking Memorial Hospital.

The doctors immediately called for a helicopter to take Jerry to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. They said Jerry experienced an aortic tear that was 7 centimeters long and was dissecting, which was preventing blood flow to the rest of his body, including his brain.

Lisa; her daughter, Tabitha Haynes; and Jeanne Bishop, Jerry's mother, were able to spend a few moments with Jerry before he was taken into surgery. They told him they loved him and would be waiting for him when he woke up.

But he never did.

Jerry was in surgery for eight hours. Even after being taken off the sedation medications, he wasn't opening his eyes. Doctors performed a series of tests, which showed Jerry had minimal brain activity. A ventilator was doing most of his breathing.

It was later that evening, on Jan. 12, the family requested to speak with a representative of Lifeline of Ohio. The representative went over every detail of the donation process with the family, helping them make sense of it all.

At some point in the middle of the night, the ventilator took over Jerry's breathing completely. Two days later, at just after noon Jan. 14, the family said their last goodbyes to Jerry as the medical team prepared for the donation surgery.

Those final moments with Jerry were impossibly difficult, Jeanne Bishop said. Every day since then, she has wished she could have just one more day with her son, and she's not sure if that wish will ever go away.

"After the surgery, we were praying for a miracle. But it turned out the miracle was just for some other families," Jeanne said.

That miracle came in the form of the life-saving organs families in Michigan, Cleveland and Georgia received from Jerry, and the eyesight two other individuals now have thanks to his donation.

The family learned of the recipients on the day of Jerry's calling hours and was able to share the news with the many loved ones who gathered to remember him. More than 1,000 people attended the calling hours and funeral for Jerry, a testament to the kind of man he was, said his brother, Scott Hayes.

"Jerry brought out the best of everyone around him. He was such an encourager. He always was pushing people to be the best that they could be," he said.

"He was a special guy. He gave to everybody he knew. If he thought someone needed anything, he would be there," said Jerry's stepfather, Terry Bishop. "That's just the kind of guy he was. ... He was one of a kind."

When Tabitha Haynes returned to work at the Licking County Health Department, she said she felt as if she was in a daze. She started flipping through the calendar to see what news releases would be going out in February when her eyes stopped on Feb. 14.

She knew it was Valentine's Day, but she learned it also was National Donor Day. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of her stepfather, and she said she knew she had to find some way to share his story.

On Feb. 13, Haynes sent an open letter to the community on behalf of the health department, sharing her story and encouraging others to become organ donors.

"This will be our first Valentine's Day without Jerry; but thanks to him three others are able to spend the day with their loved ones, and two others are able to see their loved ones for the first time. Jerry was always a selfless person, giving anything to help someone out … even his life," she wrote.

In no time, she had emails pouring in offering her and her family support and people making declarations to become organ donors. One of Jerry's best friends even signed up to become a donor after hearing about Jerry's gift during the calling hours.

Haynes and her family honored Jerry and his gift on National Donor Day, as they will on every Valentine's Day to come.

Family members are hopeful they will one day be able to meet the recipients of Jerry's organs. Until then, they take comfort in knowing that although they are grieving, something as beautiful as saving a life was able to come out of their tragedy.

Jerry spent 25 years of his life tirelessly working at his business Superior Suds, a power washing service.

Lisa remembers at the funeral someone made the comment that God must have needed Jerry in heaven because the sidewalks were getting dirty up there. She told Lisa to be prepared for the imminent downpour that was certain to come if Jerry started power-washing.

It was a comforting thought, Lisa said. She can't help but think there might be something to it: It can't seem to stop snowing these last few days.

emaddern@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @emmaddern

Become an organ donor

Jerry Hayes Jr.'s family is hoping his story will inspire others to become organ donors and save lives. To register to become a donor, visit your local Bureau of Motor Vehicles office or go to Lifeline of Ohio's website at www.lifelineofohio.org. For more information about the effect one donor can have, visit Donate Life America's website at www.donatelife.net.